Robert Bosch Stiftung focuses on strengthening democracy
- Under the motto “Our Democracy Depends on Us,” the Robert Bosch Stiftung is supporting democracy projects with around 11 million euros in funding this year.
- Positive result for the Foundation in its anniversary year 2024: Around 219 million euros invested in charitable work, active in over 20 countries and more than 300 new projects launched.
Berlin/Stuttgart, February 27, 2025 – Trust in state institutions is declining. Right-wing extremist parties are gaining ground and society is increasingly divided. This year, the Robert Bosch Stiftung is focusing its work on social cohesion. Under the motto “Our Democracy Depends on Us,” it is offering support totaling around 11 million euros for numerous projects in Germany where people are actively involved in society.
“Dialogue is the basis of the liberal democratic order,” says Bernhard Straub, Chief Executive Officer of the Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH. “As a foundation, we are committed to the idea that controversies can be resolved through debate and that people can always change their perspective, learn to accept differences and find compromises. In this spirit, we want to draw attention this year to successful examples of our support in order to share experiences, inspire others and encourage them to follow suit. We are convinced that each and every one of us bears responsibility for our democracy.”
Examples of democracy in action
In its work, the foundation supports innovative formats for citizan participation and local projects in which people come together in everyday spaces such as sports clubs or hairdressing salons and are encouraged to respect the opinions of others. The foundation will also continue to expand its support for democracy education for schoolchildren and teachers in the coming years. For the first time, it will award a theme prize for democracy education as part of the German School Award on September 30, 2025.
219 million euros invested in charitable work
Last year, the Robert Bosch Stiftung invested almost 219 million euros in its funding areas of health, education and global issues. Around 151 million euros were invested in the area of health, in particular in the expansion of the Bosch Health Campus (BHC), which brings together the Robert Bosch Hospital, several research institutes, an education center and the Robert Bosch Center for Innovation in Healthcare. In June 2024, on the occasion of its 60th anniversary, the foundation announced that it would invest more than half a billion euros in the BHC in Stuttgart over the next five years to provide sustainable healthcare.
Worldwide engagement
The foundation maintains its own facilities such as the Bosch Health Campus, carries out numerous projects and enters into partnerships worldwide. Last year alone, it was active in over 20 countries and launched more than 300 new projects. In the area of global issues, for example, it supported initiatives that work to involve the local population in peace processes in crisis regions of the world, as well as organizations that advocate for the rights of migrant workers in Europe. In the field of education, the focus was on training teachers in the use of artificial intelligence and democracy education in schools.
In addition, the Robert Bosch Academy at the Foundation's Berlin location celebrated its tenth anniversary last year. Since it was founded, 118 fellows from 49 countries have worked together in the German capital on the major issues of our time. In June 2024, the Foundation launched the Foundations for Ukraine initiative as part of its support for Ukraine. The aim is to better coordinate support for Ukraine and make more targeted use of financial resources.